Introduction to the Language of the Qur’an

Duke University professor Bruce Lawrence offers an introduction to the poetic style and aural beauty of the Qur’an and discusses the challenge of translating archaic Arabic into modern-day English.

Dr. Bruce Lawrence is the Nancy and Jeffrey Marcus Humanities Professor Emeritus of Religion at Duke University. A graduate Princeton University, with a Master of Divinity from Episcopal Divinity School, he earned his doctorate at Yale University in History of Religions. One of the most prominent and respected scholars of Islam in the United States, he is the author of numerous books including Shattering the Myth: Islam Beyond Violence (2000) and The Qur'an: A Biography (2008).